Harry and Meghan in Düsseldorf: the Bundeswehr donated Royals to the flight

Harry and Meghan in Duesseldorf
Bundeswehr gave Royals flight

09/08/2022, 10:18 am

Next year, Düsseldorf will host the Invictus Games for war-disabled soldiers – and Prince Harry, as the founder, will be the figurehead. For his preparatory visit, the Bundeswehr had the royal and his wife flown into the government plane at the expense of the taxpayer.

Although Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan no longer have official duties as royals, they apparently did not have to pay for the trip to Düsseldorf as part of the Invictus Games 2023 out of pocket. Instead, Germany and thus indirectly paid the local taxpayer for it, British media report.

Bild newspaper quoted a Defense Department spokesperson as saying, “As hosts, we flew the inventor and patron of the Invictus Games, Prince Harry, and his wife to the event in a Global 6000.” Since the Invictus Games is a sporting event for war-disabled soldiers, there is a “direct interest of the Bundeswehr” – the “transport was thus free”. The spokesperson does not want to comment on the costs of the flight, according to the report.

The couple would have to pay for their own safety during their visit to the Rhine last Tuesday. As the “Daily Mail” reported, German authorities classified the trip as a “private event”. And therefore refused a personal protection from the police.

In general, police protection was only provided to a limited extent, for example for crowd control. According to the “Daily Mail”, bodyguards accompanying the couple in Manchester on Monday also ensured the safety of the two royals in Düsseldorf – supplemented by a “small local security team”.

Prince Harry is engaged in a lengthy legal battle with the British Home Office. The 37-year-old Duke of Sussex has taken legal action after being told he would no longer receive “the same level” of personal protection when visiting the UK. Harry and Meghan retired as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California.